Williams & Works out of Grand Rapids will be heading the engineering details for the 2.2-mile stretch of trails through the city of Belding that are expected to be completed by summer of 2014.

Belding City Council members approved a motion to accept the company's bid of $72,000 at Tuesday's meeting with a 4-1 vote. Council member Joe Feuerstein was opposed.

The second bid, which council members rejected, was $43,000 from Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering. The city has used the company in the past, but council members Mike Scheid and mayor protem Andrea Belding said there were a number of negative issues that had to be dealt with at the time.

During proposal discussion, Belding City Grant Writer Julianne Burns said Williams & Works have been involved in the Rails to Trails project throughout the region since 2008, it performed original surveys and worked with community groups, has been an advocate and has the greatest knowledge of the project in other parts of Ionia County. The company also has been endorsed by other groups, she added.

David Austin from Williams & Works addressed the council, and said the reason the bid is higher is due to payment of consulting engineers, the level of service the company will provide, behind-the-scenes work, administrative work and the additional effort they are prepared to take to make the trails strong and aesthetically pleasing. Austin added the company is planning on emphasizing the bridge crossings and making sure erosion problems are corrected and creating them to be more structurally sound.

Austin said thanks to additional grant funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation, the funds that have to be collected by the local community dropped from about $500,000 to $100,000.

Scheid said he liked seeing more detailed work in the packet from Williams & Works compared to Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering, and is also happy to see the city's contribution of $25,000 will not change.

In public comments, Lynn Mason said Austin has been present at all meetings regarding the trails, has the experience and understanding of the project to make the it the best it can be. In regards to the other bid, she said cheaper is not always better.

Local citizen Jeff Hunter also voiced his opinion, saying the vagueness of the Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering can be unsafe for the city, as extra costs could be added during the project's construction.

After the approval, Belding Mayor Ron Gunderson said he is pleased to have an offer for the trails and believes the corridor will have a low maintenance cost because of the attention dedicated by Williams & Works.

To learn more about the Rails to Trails project, search "Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails" on Facebook.